Caturday Blogging: 8 Tips and Tricks for Grooming Your Cat

Photo Credit: Rebekah Valentine

2. Ensure everyone is relaxed

When preparing to groom your cat in any way, ensure you have a good block of time to do so at a time when the cat is relaxed, such as just after it has eaten a good meal or after the cat has wound down after an energetic play session. My cats are much more pliable for grooming after I bribe them with a surprise meal of wet food and they are lounging all fat and happy. If your cat is especially adverse to necessary activities such as brushing or nail clipping, you can try a feline hormone dispenser, such as Feliway, hours before. Set it up in a small room where you’ll groom the cat and close the door. Let some time pass for the hormones to spread, then bring the cat in and acclimate it to the room before beginning grooming.

This doesn’t just apply to your cat. If you are stressed, annoyed, or hurried, your cat will know and will be reluctant to participate. Ensure you are in a good place mentally and prepared to be patient before trying to convince your cat anything is a good idea.

Photo Credit: Rebekah Valentine

3. Keep sessions short at first

It should be obvious that you don’t want to throw your cat into an hours-long grooming session right out of the gate, but it may be tempting to do so if you already have your cat in a good, relaxed state and there’s work to be done. Resist. A cat who has decided to tolerate your grooming may appear relaxed, but after awhile may grow stressed. If it feels pinned down, the cat may not obviously show this stress, so it’s best if you end things early enough for your cat to grow used to the idea being cared for over a longer period of time.

Start with ten, fifteen minutes of brushing at a time. Do nail clipping in a different session that starts with a bit of brushing if your cat enjoys it. Gradually lengthen the sessions as your cat becomes used to them.